Most Difficult to Manage Symptoms

Hearing about your experiences managing symptoms of plaque psoriasis matters to our community. We learn so much from one another by sharing stories and information. Learning that other people experience similar symptoms can often make community members feel that they are not alone. Here we examine some of the most discussed symptoms in our community including itching, pain, flaking and fatigue.

Itching

We often hear from our community members that itching can be one of the most uncomfortable aspects of plaque psoriasis. Some community members find that they even itch when they are sleeping. Itching can occur even when individuals are free of plaques. We hear from our members that for each person the itching may affect them in different ways and may be persistent on different areas of the body. For some of our members it might be the hands or feet that is the most uncomfortable place they experience itching while for other members their elbows, knees, scalp or ears, or other areas may be where they are most affected.

“Itching and bleeding are the worst…it never stops.”

“The itching, hands down! My wife says I often itch in my sleep.”

“Even when I am mostly plaque and lesion free, I still itch like crazy on certain spots.”

Some community members share that they have become accustomed to the itching and that other symptoms of the condition are more challenging such as pain, bleeding or fatigue. Our community members offer lots of great tips and tricks to curb the drive to itch or soothe irritated skin.

Pain

Pain manifests in different ways for our community members. It might be burning pain, throbbing in one’s joints, stinging from open cuts or sores; there are multitudes of ways our members describe their pain experience with plaque psoriasis. Members discuss how living with psoriasis can range from causing discomfort all the way to making day to day activities difficult due to pain.  While some members can find moments of reprieve either through treatments or other remedies others use this platform to vent their frustrations with the pain they feel.

“I’ve started having more and more pain in my joints, especially my back, neck and hips. But my fingers, wrists, knees and feet hurt frequently too.”

“I have it on the top of my hands, I recently started to have a lot of pain below my pinky and ring finger area on top of my hand, almost feels like my bones are broken. Same on the top of my foot.”

“The itching, the swelling, the pain, scratching until they bleed, all the flaking- everything hurts.”

Flaking

Whether it is just a few flakes or a trail of them, our community members often discuss the annoyance of flaky skin. Some community members find it difficult to wear certain clothes at work, while others discuss methods to disguise flakes with clothing, or ways they handle feeling self-conscious about flakes. Many community members discuss how flakes can feel embarrassing and challenging.

“Black is no longer an option for me in clothing, I have had to turn down jobs that require you to wear black. For that matter, I only buy clothes with a print or a pattern because it hides the flakes better.”

“I hate the flakes, ugh, they get everywhere and are embarrassing.”

“My most difficult thing is having it on my scalp. I wouldn’t wear dark colored shirts because of the flakes.”

Fatigue/Tiredness

While our members have varying levels of plaque psoriasis, fatigue can be something experienced by those with mild to severe psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis is an autoimmune condition and as a result the chronic inflammation that some members experience can lead to the lack of energy or extreme tiredness.  Even with a good night’s sleep there are still members who experience exhaustion.

“The fatigue is the worst for me, I have to make myself do things. I get tired much more easily than I feel like I should.”

“I itch until I bleed, my scalp flakes like a snowstorm, I’m tired like crazy and just seem to hurt constantly.”

“One hour in to work and I’m ready for a nap. All I hear is can’t you go any faster?”

No matter what symptoms you experience, you are surely not alone. Our community appreciates hearing from you and your experience. What symptoms of plaque psoriasis do you wish others understood more about? What is your best piece of advice for those newly diagnosed for dealing with symptoms of plaque psoriasis?